Man About Canton: Stamp Prices Rise

Did you know …

Effective January 27, the cost of a first-class (1 oz.) letter sent through the U.S. Postal Service increased from 50 cents to 55 cents for letters mailed within the United States.

The automobile dealership at 879 Washington Street, owned by the Lawless Trust, was recently sold for $900,000 to Reird Dallelch.

Former Cantonite Brian Mann has been named the chief development officer and senior associate athletic director for University of California Berkeley Athletics.

Last year’s Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles was the most watched telecast of 2018 with 103.4 million viewers. For this year’s Super Bowl between the Pats and the Rams, the overnight ratings showed a disappointing total viewership of 98.2 million, but CBS has subsequently tacked on another 12 million viewers using Nielsen’s new “Out of Home” metric, which factors in viewers who watched the big game at other people’s homes, bars, restaurants, hotels and other venues.

The Canton Rotary Club has joined forces with the Randolph Rotary Club. The club president is Nancy Chiappini.

According to the National Climatic Data Center, the Blue Hill Observatory atop Big Blue Hill in Canton is the windiest spot in the United States with an average annual wind speed of 15.4 mph.

The Canton Fire Department was recently awarded a $4,354 Student Awareness of Fire Education (SAFE) grant and a $2,600 Senior SAFE grant by the Department of Fire Services.

The Canton Council on Aging recently received a number of private donations amounting to $7,660. Some of the largest donations came from the Congregational Church of Canton Outreach Ministry, Duggan Mechanical, Frank R. and Elizabeth Simoni Foundation, and Louis and Carol Volpe.

State wildlife officials are proposing to increase the annual limit on the number of wild turkeys from 2 to 3 birds per hunter. The proposal would also expand the archery hunting season for turkeys so it coincides with the archery hunting season for deer.

The average median sale price of a house in the state of Maine in 2018 was $215,000.

Two interesting deductions that were eliminated as part of last year’s sweeping federal tax overhaul include union dues and fees that tax preparers charge.

The AARP Foundation Tax Aide offers free individualized tax preparation for low- to moderate-income taxpayers at the Canton Senior Center. Appointments are available on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. now through April 9. Please call 781-828-1323 to make your appointment. You must also pick up an intake form, which needs to be filled out prior to your appointment.

The Canton School Committee recently approved raising the daily pay rate for substitute teachers. Pay for unlicensed substitutes has increased from $75 to $86 per day while the rate for licensed and previously licensed substitutes has increased from $81 to $94 per day.

The Canton Board of Selectmen recently approved a new three-year labor contract with the Canton Police Association. Officers will receive a 2 percent raise in the first year of the contract and 3 percent raises in each of the next two years.

Gary Vinciguerra recently resigned from the Zoning Board of Appeals. Selectmen are looking for a resident to fill the remaining two years of his term.

Customers spent nearly $24 million on recreational marijuana products in the first two months of sales, and that was only at the first two recreational stores that opened, one in Leicester and the other in Northampton. There are now eight recreational stores open in the state so far. Massachusetts has received about $4 million in tax revenue, according to data from the state’s Cannabis Control Commission.

Canton Attorney Gloriann Moroney has been nominated for a seat on the state Parole Board by Governor Charlie Baker. Moroney has worked for 14 years in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. She has also served as general counsel for the Parole Board and became its executive director in July 2018. Moroney’s nomination must be confirmed by the Governor’s Council.

The Bank of Canton was established in March 1835 and was incorporated on May 15, 1895. According to the bank’s website, it is the 55th largest bank in the state of Massachusetts and the 1,123rd largest in the nation.

Not too many people have heard of Jacqueline Steiner, who recently died at the age of 94; but many have heard of the signature song that she wrote in 1949, “Charlie on the MTA.” It became one of the best known Boston songs. The Kingston Trio recorded the song in 1959.

The West Bridgewater girls varsity basketball team (11-0) recently defeated Blue Hills Regional 30-21. The score at halftime was 14-5 due to sloppy play, good defense, and cold, cold shooting.

It’s the rough side of the mountain that’s the easiest to climb. The smooth side doesn’t have anything for you to hang on to.  —Aretha Franklin

This is all for now folks. See you next week.

Joe DeFelice can be reached at manaboutcanton@aol.com.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=51286

Posted by Joe DeFelice on Feb 15 2019. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.